A Melting Pot of Motorcycle Racing Styles Forms Supermoto

Chances are you have seen lightning fast sport-bikes and high flying motocross dirt-bikes tearing across your high-def flat screen television on super commercialized programs. These shows have huge advertising dollars backing them, if you are going by the size of the banners. In the pageantry department they rival NASCAR in terms of having a rock star following. But let's say you can merge these two sports and sprinkle in the rear end tire squall of dirt flat track racing all into one sport. What you would have is AMA's Supermoto. The racing series that mashes together all the elements of motorcycle racing into one jaw dropping, eye bulging, blistering race.

Let us break it down together. If you want to see jumping, they got that on dirt and asphalt. You want to see high speeds, they got that. Want to see berm railing, bar banging block passing, they got that. Want to see dumped clutches causing rear tires to squeal like pigs in the slaughterhouse, they got that sliding all over the place. They even have it on different sizes of motorcycles. From full sized converted motocross race bikes down to kid's dirt-bikes with road racing slicks mounted up on wider rims there is fun for all ages.

Sounds like it would have the trappings for some good television. Only problem is that the races are shown months after they are over and the winners are already known via outlets like youtube.com or XTRM. The advertising dollars are not there like motocross, but the excitement surely is. ABC thought so at least back in the early eighties when they promoted their own series that was the predecessor to Supermoto, they called it Superbikers. It was shown on ABC's Wide World of Sports for several years and had many of the top motorcycle racers from many disciplines competing on a track that had dirt and asphalt sections. Now however you can barely find anyone that even knows what a supermoto motorcycle is or how much fun it is to ride or watch in a race.

If you remember back when you were a kid and riding your bicycle down a large hill getting some speed up, then slamming on the rear brake to slide the rear tire. The first time you did that, how big was the grin on your face. That is supermoto, but for kids and grown-ups alike, and add motors for excitement. Hopefully this will entice you to catch a race on television or check out these websites for more info:

www.Amasupermoto.com (National sanctioning body for the pro series)
www.Semra.org (Large amateur supermoto racing organization in the southeastern U.S.)
www.Supermotojunkie.com (Forums for all things supermoto)